Sort By:
Eric G.
Via
Yelp
- DiMillo's Portland
9 years ago
Started poorly with a seating issue. When I made the reservation, I asked for a table near a window. We were a large party of 7 with a guest from NY and I wanted him to have a great view. We were seated at a table which was the furthest possible from a window. The hostess said she couldn't do anything about it. Manager never came over even though I asked her to tell him about their mistake. An hour later we were told that Danny DiMillo was working tonight and he felt bad so he sent over two free appetizers. Not acceptable Mr. DiMillo. You should have come to the table. <br><br>Food is average which is what we expect when we come here. Your standard scallop, shrimp and lobster dishes with not much creativity. We had kids with us so this is what we expect and what we got. If you want a run of the mill touristy place that is kid friendly then go here. It's not much more than that. <br><br>Customer service unacceptable! Therefore 2 stars.
Mandee F.
Via
Yelp
- DiMillo's Portland
9 years ago
While DiMillo's appeared to be a lovely setting for a dinner date, I wouldn't recommend it nor will I return. <br><br>After being seated, at least two of the utensils at our table were dirty and had pieces of old food stuck to them. We had them replaced. My husband ordered pineapple juice to start, which after his first sip he immediately thought had an alcoholic beverage mixed in with it (it was not supposed to). I tasted it as well and agreed something wasn't right. We sent it back and opted not to get a fresh one though the waitress did offer to open a fresh bottle of juice. <br><br>Onto to the meal itself - the prices were pretty steep for the sub-par food. We ordered filet mignon well done which came out burned, and we know our waitressed told the kitchen that it wasn't to be burned but we wanted no pink. Overall, it seemed like there were some issues in the kitchen with the way the food was all coming out, and for a $70 dinner bill for two, it was NOT worth the big bill. On a positive note, our waitress seemed to really be doing her best despite what she was dealing with and the view was nice, but we still don't plan on going back if we're ever in Portland again.
Sandy H.
Via
Yelp
- DiMillo's Portland
9 years ago
I really, really, REALLY looked forward to having dinner here last night. I LOVE the restaurant and the surrounding area. It's just plain old FUN.<br><br>It's summer, it was Maine, and that means I wanted seafood. It was very, very difficult to select from so many choices on the menu. I love lobster, but could not eat it due to recent dental surgery. I did want something summery, though, so I chose the fried seafood platter (only once a decade do I allow myself that decadence). It was a combination of breaded haddock, shrimp, scallops, and clams, and coleslaw and fries were on the side. I have never before been served such an unappealing dish in my life...anywhere. Everything, of course, was breaded (fine with me -- it's fried), and the plate contained this HUGE pile of breaded "things." It was next to impossible to discern what was a shrimp and what was a clam. The breading wasn't crisp, and the steam from the heat of the items on that pile of seafood made the breading mushy, limp and, well, brown. It was a heap of brown stuff. I will never, ever order that again. In spite of that problem, I will go back to the restaurant, but I will be v-e-r-y careful to order a dish with items on it that can be identified.<br><br>On a positive note: I started the meal with a cup of their haddock chowder and it was out of this world good. Maybe my next meal will just be a bowl of that same chowder. I recommend that without reservation.
Deborah D.
Via
Yelp
- DiMillo's Portland
9 years ago
DiMillo's On the Water is just that. It's on the water.<br><br>This should have been my first cue that the dining experience at DiMillos would not be di-lightful or di-lovely. I mean, we walk onto the "ship" and it's clear from the clientele and the ambiance that we're set up for cheeze-ball city. <br><br>The tables were set with white tablecloths, but fine dining service and delicious food were not to be found here. Our server was marble-mouthed, forgot several items associated with the SAME appetizer (actually, this was probably the kitchen staff's fault), and downright slow...it took at least 20 minutes to get our drink orders filled, so you can imagine how long the rest of the meal took. We felt like we were waiting and waiting...and when the food finally came....it was a disappointment.<br><br>Let's start with the things that were OK: my father in law's whole lobster was fine. It's hard to screw that up. It's lobster. And butter. He was happy.<br><br>My mother in law was happy with her lobster mac 'n cheese. It was fine - a little one-note and gloppy on the creaminess and cheesiness, which I guess could be good. The lobster inside was delicious, I'll give them that. It was chunky and not overcooked and sweet. <br><br>Then things started to go downhill. The grilled veggie appetizer came hastily thrown together on the plate, without the pita chips (which were not homemade) and without the goat cheese (which others attested tasted strangely of processed onion dip mixed in with cheese).<br><br>My chowder was a dead ringer for Campbell's New England clam chowder. I wouldn't be surprised if it was. My husband's lobster roll was only so-so (and if you are serving a lobster roll it had better be delicious!). My one sister in law's crab melt was not that great, either - she said it tasted basically like a grilled cheese. My other sister in law is a vegetarian and ordered a salad that she barely touched and a baked potato that looked super dry. <br><br>If you're looking for a place to eat with a view of the water, there are better places. Move along, now!
Cody L.
Via
Yelp
- DiMillo's Portland
9 years ago
Well, we had high expectations (or maybe not figuring it was probably more so a "touristy" place to try), but it wasn't all that great. We really just wanted to try it because of the fact that it's on a boat, on the water, and wanted to get a nice view..which was ok. The food actually was pretty good as well..not great, but done well. So with the good tastes & ok view, it saved not getting a horrible review.<br><br>But what was really bad, was the service. We were sat rather quickly, but it literally took our waitress 20 minutes (if not longer) to come over and take our drink order to start. She passed by 2 or 3 times saying, "I'll be right with you," yet failed to do so until 5 or so minutes after that 3rd time of saying it. Just horrible. Definitely won't be dining here next time we're in Portland.